I am a new student to Aikido, so I will not even try and get deep with you "big boys" but I would like to share a quote with you all in regards to the mind which i picked up yesterday. Chuang Tzu said, "The mind of the Sage is like a mirror which reflects the entire universe." I think this implies that the mind is NOT to be slave to the object, but the Master. We will not be shaken by every movement or stimuli that crosses our field of vision. thanks for letting me play!!